Machine for operating upon soles.



H. W. WINTER.

MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON sous.

APPLIOATION FILED BEPT.'28, 1908. 1,004,614. Patented 001.3,1911.

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H. w. WINTER. MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON SOLES.

APPLICATION TILED SEPT. 2a, 1909. 1,004,614, Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

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C0,, WASHINGTON D I H. W. WINTER. MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON SOLES.

APPLICATION FILED snrr. 28, was.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

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COLUMBIA PLANOOIAPN (0., WASHINGTON. D. C-

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY W. WINTER, OF METHUEN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO UNITED SHOE'MACHINERY COMPANY, OF PATERSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

- MACHINE FOR OPERATING UPON SOLES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY WV. WVINTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Methuen, in the county of Essex and Commonwealth ofMassachusetts, have invented certain Improvements in Machines forOperating Upon Soles, of which the following description, in connectionwith the accompanying drawings, is a specification, like referencecharacters on the drawings indicating like parts in the several figures.

This invention relates to machines for op erating upon soles and isshown embodied in a channeling machine.

Machines for performing various specific operations upon soles are inuse in which the marginal part of a sole is progressively gripped byfeeding mechanism and advanced against a. tool for performing thedesired operation. For example, the feeding agency in machines of thisclass is frequently a toothed wheel, engaging the margin of the sole andagainst which the sole is pressed by cooperating devices. While thisarrange ment is effective where it is possible to use a wheel of verysmall width, or in operating upon those portions of a sole which requirea substantially rectilinear movement, it is not satisfactory where awheel of appreciable width is required to operate upon the sole in acurved line. In working along a curve, the swinging movement of the solenecessary to bring successive portions into the line of feed is resistedby the teeth of the feed wheel which sink more or less into the leather.This not only occasions objectionable mutilation of the sole in turninga curve, but also makes the operation upon abrupt curves, such as ingoing about the toe, quite a difficult one, thus preventing machinesfrom being operated with the speed desired and endangering the qualityof the work performed.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide feedingmechanism for use in machines of the class described, which shall rendersuch machines more easily operated, and improve the quality of theirout- To this end an important feature of the invention consists in theprovision, in a machine for operating progressively along the edge of asole, of a movable device for advancing the sole against a tool byengagement with successive portions of its margin,

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed September 28, 1908.

Patented Oct. 3, 1911.

Serial No. 455,113.

having provision for variation in surface speed from point to point inits width to accommodate the irregular contour of the sole. Theconstruction contemplated is such that the surface speed at differentpoints in the width of the device is determined by the action of thework itself upon the device, said speed conforming to whateverrequirements may be occasioned by the contour of the line in which thework is op-. erated upon. In the embodiment of the invention hereinillustrated there is provided a plurality of toothed feeding sectionsarranged for continuous rotatory engagement with the work and mountedside by side. These sections are normally driven at the same rate ofspeed, the arrangement being such, however, that individual forwardmovement of the sections at an increased speed is freely permitted. Ingoing about a curve, the swinging movement of the sole is thusaccommodated by forward movement of one or more of the sections withrelation to the remaining sections. For example, in going about the toethe sole may be turned about a section removed from the sole edge as afulcrum, and thesections adjacent to the sole edge moved forwardlydifferent amounts to conform to the movement of the sole. If the curveis a reentrant curve, such as occurs at the shank of a sole, a sectionadjacent the sole edge may constitute the fulcrum and the sectionstoward the interior of the sole advanced.

According to the arrangement herein described, a port-ion, or all, ofthe feeding sections are free to be moved forwardly by the work. Theconstruction is preferably such, however, that the movement imparted tosaid sections by their driving mechanism is positive in character. Thisis of particular importance where the nature of the operation performedby the machine occasions considerable resistance to the feeding movementof the sole, as for instance, in a channeling machine wherein it isdesirable that the driving movement imparted to the feeding agency bepositive regardless of the resistance encountered.

In the particular embodiment of the invention shown, a plurality ofperipherally toothed sections are mounted side by side upon a rotatoryshaft. Between the shaft and a part or all of the toothed sections isarranged mechanism for transmitting movement from the shaft to thesections, constructed to permit forward movement of the sections uponthe shaft and to arrest rearward movement thereof. The constructionshown is such that no rearward movement of the sections upon theirsupporting shaft is permitted, but it would be within the presentinvention to permit a certain amount of rearward movement, provided saidmovement were finally arrested.

The invention also consists in certain novel features of constructionand arrange ments of parts which will be hereinafter particularlydescribed and thereafter defined in the claims.

In the drawings,Figure 1 is a view in front elevation with parts insection of a machine embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 is a viewin perspective with parts in section of a portion of the machine shownin Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a perspective view, partly in section, of the feedwheel shown in Fig. 1; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional detail view of anadjusting device for the channel knife holder; Fig. 5 is a view similarto Fig. 3 showing a slightly modified form of wheel; Fig. 6 is aperspective view showing a modified form of'edge gage; Fig. 7 is aperspective view of a portion of a sole illustrating the nature of theoperation performed by the machine shown in the preceding views; Fig. 8'is a view in side elevation, looking from the right in Fig. 1; Fig. 9is a view in front elevation with parts in section of a portion of themachine showing a modified arrangement of a presser wheel.

Referring to the-drawings, the reference character 2 indicates a drivingshaft journaled in a frame-4 and transmitting motion to a shaft 6through. suitable gears. The frame 4 is provided at one side with ahorizontal guideway in'whichis arranged a slide 8 having a bore andsuitable bushing to receive the shaft 6. A coiled spring 10 is arrangedabout the shaft 6'at the rear of the slide 8 within a recess in theframe 4 to press the slide outwardly, its movement in this directionbeing limited by an adjustable stop 12 engaged by a lug 14 upon theslide. The movement of'the slide 8 is in a line parallel with the shaft6 and said shaft is also arranged to move therewith. A lever 16,actuated by a treadle, not shown, is mounted upon the frame in aposition to move the slide 8 inwardly. Fixed upon the outer end of theshaft 6 is a feed wheel provided with a toothed periphery and includingan inner section 18, upon the inner side of which are cut beveled gearteeth. A groove is formed in the upper face of the slide 8 to receiveadjustably a block held infixed position therein by a screw. Extendingvertically from the block is a stud upon which "is rotatably mounted anedge roll 22, said edge roll being provided upon its lower part withbeveled gear teeth. meshing with the teeth upon the'feed wheel. It willbe observed that since both the feed wheel and the edge roll are mountedfor movement with the slide 8, the engagement between the gears formedupon said parts is not altered by movement of the slide. It will beunderstood that the shaft 6 is ar ranged for longitudinal movement inits bearings, the gears mounted therein at its rear end being splinedthereto to permit this movement.

Upon the frame 4 a head 24 is secured by devices permitting it to bereadily detached. To this end the head is provided with a hook 26 whichpasses beneath and has engagement with a rod 28 fixed upon the frame 4.The head 24 has at its lower end a lug 30 formed with an eye entered bya removable pin 32 carried by the frame. It will be seen from Figs. 1and 2 that by removing the pin 32 the head 24 may be swung laterally todisengage the hook 26 from the rod 28, and thus free the head from theframe of the machine' The head 24 constitutes a guide for a ver ticallymovable carrier 34, said carrier being provided with vertical guidewaysfor a groover knife block 36 and a channel knife block 38. The grooverblock 36 is formed at its lower end with a horizontal guideway in whichis received a groover knife holder 40 provided with suitable clampingmeans for securing the groover knife in fixed position. Verticaladjustment of the block 36 is effected by a screw 42 which also limitsdownward movement of said block, the block being held yieldinglydownwardly by a spring 43. The channel knife block 38 car ries at itslower end a channel knife holder 44 arranged for adjustment in adirection parallel with the line of feed by means of a screw 46.Vertical adjustment of the chan nel knife block 38 is effected bymechanism shown in detail in Fig. 4 comprising a screw 48 entering aconical split sleeve 50 which is threaded in a conical bore in the block38 and has threaded engagement with the screw 48. The sleeve 50 issecured in fixed position by means of a check nut 52. It will be seenthat by tightening the sleeve 50 any backlash between the screw 48 andthe channel knife block may be taken up since the sleeve 50 is therebyforced into rigid engagement with the screw. The screw 48 is mounted forturning movement in the carrier 34 so that adjustment of the channelknife block may be secured by rotatory adjustment of the screw 48. Saidscrew is provided with a shoulder 54 engaging the'lowerface of thehorizontal plate constituting the upper part of the carrier. Surroundingthe screw 48 is a sleeve 56 entering from above 'a threaded orifice inthe carrier and held in fixed position by means of a check nut 58. Itwill be obseved that with this arrangement any lost motion between thescrew 48 and the carrier may be prevented since, by adjustment of thesleeve 56, the shoulder 54 upon the screw 48 may be forced into rigidengagement with the carrier. At the same time adjustment of the channelknife block by turning the screw 48 is not interfered with. To preventlateral movement of the channel knife block 38 in its guideway the Wallof said guideway is slotted at 61 and screws 59 are provided by theadjustment of which the inner side wall of the guideway may be forcedagainst the block 38, the slot 61 permitting a slight yielding movementof said side wall.

Upon the carrier 34, as will appear from Fig. 1, is mounted a lever 62fulcrumed at 63. The forward end of this lever has engage-ment with thegroover knife block 36 to raise the same. To the rear end of the leveris pivotally connected a rod 65 by a screw 66. The rod 65 is providedwith a shoulder 67 which, in the position of the parts shown in Fig. 1,has engagement with a portion of the lever 62 and prevents movement inone direction of said rod upon the lever. This form of connectionbetween the rod 65 and the lever 62 is of advantage in that it permitssaid rod to be folded over the lever 62 when the head 24 is removed fromthe machine. The head 24 may thus be handled more conveniently thanwould be possible if the rod 65 projected from its rear end. The rod 65is connected to a lever 64 by a link 68, the effective length of whichcan be varied by adjustment of a nut 69. The forward end of the lever 64is arranged to have engagement with the lower end of the carrier 34, asshown in Fig. 1. The carrier 34 is pressed yieldingly downwardly by aspring 7 0 arranged in a socket formed in the carrier, the upwardpressure of said spring being resisted by a screw 71. Downward movementof the carrier 34 is limited by engagement of an adjustable stop 72 withthe head 24. The lever 64 is actuated from a suitable treadle. It willbe seen that dur ing the first portion of the downward movement of thetreadle rod the outer end of the lever 62 will be raised to elevate thegroover knife block, this movement of the groover knife block occurringbefore movement is imparted to the carrier 34. After a predeterminedmovement of the lever 62, the lever 64 comes in contact with the carrier34 and imparts vertical movement thereto. This arrangement thus permitsthe groover knife to be raised independently of the channel knifewhenever desired, for example, in going about the toe of a sole. It willalso be observed that this arrangement provides a single agency foractuating the groover knife and the carrier 34 upon which are mountedthe channel knife and the work pressing devices hereinafter mentioned.If it should be desired to raise and lower the groover knife and carrier34 simultaneously, this result may be secured by adjustment of the stop69 since by lowering this stop the lever 62 may be rendered ineffectiveto raise the groover knife block.

To press the work into operative engagement with the feed wheel, andposition the knives in proper relation to the face of the sole, there ismounted upon the carrier 34 a presser 7 3, said presser being secured tothe lower end of a vertically adjustable rod 75. As will appear fromFig. 2, the presser 73 engages the work upon a line with the channelknife and groover knife. The carrier also sustains a rotatable shaft 74provided at its outer end with a presser wheel 76, said presser wheelbeing arranged at one side of the presser 73, as will appear fromFig. 1. The presser Wheel shaft 74 has at its inner end a clutch member78 meshing with a corresponding member 80 pivotally connected to a shaft82, the shaft 82 being driven by and pivotally connected to a gear 84actuated from the shaft 6. As will appear from Fig. 1, the connectionbetween the gear 84 and the clutch member 80 permits vertical movementof the member 80 to be effected without interfering with the rotatorymovement imparted to said clutch member, said connection constituting auniversal joint. To sustain the member 80 when the member 78 isdisengaged therefrom, said member 80 has secured thereto aspring-sustained pin 86 supported by the frame of the machine.

The feed wheel mounted upon the shaft 6 comprises a hub 88 keyed to saidshaft and a series of disks secured to the hub and arranged side byside. The innermost disk, which is directly adjacent to the edge roll 22and which constitutes the section 18 above referred to, has a smoothperiphery and supports theextreme marginal portion of the sole. In thewheel shown in Fig. 3, two intermediate disks 92 are arranged next tothe section 18, said disks 92 being of less diameter than the outermostdisk 94 or the section 18. Each disk 92 sustains rotatably thereon aperipherally toothed ring 96. Each ring 96 is free to move forwardlyupon its supporting disk 92, but movement in a rearward direction isprevented. To this end each disk 92 is provided at a plu rality ofpoints in its periphery with recesses in which are arranged cylindricalrolls 98. The bottom of each recess is inclined slightly forwardlytoward the axis of the wheel, and in each recess is arranged a spring100 pressing rearwardly the roll therein. It will be seen that whilethis arrangement permits free forward movement of the rings 96 upontheir supporting disks,

it positively prevents rearward movement thereof since any rearwardmovement causes the rolls 98 to be wedged into locking engagement withthe rings and said disks.

In the feed wheel shown in Fig. 8, the outermost section constituted bythe disk 94 is formed in a single peripherally toothed piece keyed tothe hub 88. In Fig. 5 I have shown a feed wheel in which the outermostthree sections are identical in construction. In this arrangement a.washer 102 is secured to the end of the shaft to serve as a cover forthe recesses in the outermost disk.

In the construction shown in Fig. 9 the presser wheel 104, instead ofbeing positively rotated, is rotated by the work, the driving mechanismfor this wheel shown in the preceding views being omitted. As shown thepresser wheel 104 rotates freely upon a stud 103 entering the carrier34. This arrangement may be used where such work-advancing action as ispossessed by a positively rotated presser wheel is not required. Its usenot only simplifies the construction of the machine, but is alsoadvantageous in that a wheel so arranged freely conforms to the speed ofthe work and thereby facilitates the turning of the sole in going aboutthe toe.

In F 6 is illustrated a modified arrangement of edge roll. Where a solehas an abrupt inward deflection or curve at the shank, the formation ofa channel at the desired distance from the edge may be interfered withat this point, where an edge roll of the usual form is employed, by thepresence of that portion of the roll in advance of its center. In theconstruction shown in Fig. 6, this portion is cut away, the edge gage105 being substantially semicircular in form and mounted in stationaryposition upon its holder. To reduce friction, a small freely rotatableroll 107 is journaled at the corner of the gage.

As will be obvious, any suitable driving mechanism may be employed toactuate the machine above described. I have shown, however, an improvedform of mechanism comprising a driving pulley section 106 mounted upon asleeve 108 arranged about the shaft 2 concentrically therewith but secured to the frame 4. A driven section 110 is pinned to the shaft 2 forlimited movement longitudinally thereof, and a coiled spring 112 seatedon a washer 114 is arranged between the sections to move them apart. Thewasher 114 is pressed against the end of the sleeve 108 and does notexert pressure upon the driving section 106. The driven section 110 isforced into engagement with the driving section106 by a crank 116, saidcrank being pivotally mounted upon a stud 117 secured to an arm 118fixed upon the shaft 2. The outer end of the hub of the driven section110 is beveled and is engaged by levers 120 pivoted at 122 upon the arm118, the arrangement being such that by approaching movement of theinner ends of the levers 120 the driven section 110 is forced intooperative engagement with the driving section 106. The levers 120 areengaged by a cam 124 upon the crank 116, a slight swinging movement ofthe crank serving to press the levers 120 into operative engagement withthe hub of the driven section 110. Pivotal movement of the crank upon.the arm 118 is limited by screws 126 which are engaged by a lug 128formed upon the crank. An idle pulley 130- may be provided, if desired,to maintain a suitable tension on the driving cord or to keep the cordout of the way of the operator controlling the machine. It will be seenthat in the driving mechanism shown the driving section 106 is sustainedindependently of the shaft 2, and moreover in the inoperative positionof the parts has no frictional engagement with the driving section 110.This is of advantage in that it renders the control of the drivingmechanism more sensitive and also because it insures that when themachine is idle the shaft 2 and the crank mounted thereon will not be inrotation.

In the operation of the machine above described, a sole having beeninserted in the machine is advanced against the channel knife andgroover knife by the feed wheel and the cooperating presser mechanism,and is guided in its movement by the edge gage. The position of thechannel with relation to the edge of the sole is controlled bymanipulating the lever 16 which throws the edge roll and feed wheelinwardly and thus causes the channel to be formed farther away from theedge of the sole.

In channeling those portions of a sole which are substantially straight,there is little, if any, relative movement of .the'sections composingthe feed wheel. In working along a straight line, each section ispositively driven, the toothed rings 96 being locked in rigid engagementwith their supporting disks. In going about a convex curve, such asoccurs at the toe for instance, when the sole is swung about by theopera tor the outer section 94 of the feed wheel constitutes a fulcrumand the remaining toothed sections are advanced by the work withrelation to the section 94 in order to conform to the swinging movement.When the swinging movement of the sole ceases, the movable sections ofthe feed wheel are immediately locked from rearward movement upon thewheel, and each toothed section thus becomes effective in advancing thesole. In practice the most diflicult part of a channeling operation isgoing about such a curve or abrupt change in direction as occurs at thetoe of a sole. It will be seen that the wheel shown in Fig. 3 freelyaccommodates the movement of the sole that is thus occasioned. Whendesired, the feed wheel of the present machine may be constructed tofreely accommodate also the movement of a sole occasioned in channelingabout a reentrant curve such as occurs at the shank part of a sole. Inchanneling along a line of this contour, it is necessary to swing thesole more or less in a direction opposite to that required in channelingabout the toe. To accommodate this swinging movement freely, the feedwheel may be made, if de sired, in the manner shown in Fig. 5 in whichthe outer'toothed section of the feed wheel is arranged for free forwardmovement as well as the inner toothed sections. The sole may thus beturned about an inner section as a fulcrum and the outer sectionsadvanced to accommodate such movement.

It will be observed that in a feed wheel of the type herein described,the teeth on the sections may be made sharper and indent the work moredeeply than has heretofore been possible. This is of particularadvantage where considerable force is required to advance the sole, asin the channeling machine herein illustrated.

In the machine above described, the movement of the knives and thepresser foot is absolutely vertical. This is advantageous in that itprevents a change in elevation of the carrier 34 from changing therelation of the channel knife and the presser 73 to the work. Inmachines now in common use, in which movement of the knives and thepresser is in a curved path, a change in elevation of the presser due tovariation in thickness of the sole prevents even contact of the presserwith the sole and also changes the angle of cut made by the channelingknife.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A machine for operating progressively along the edge of a sole,comprising a tool and a movable device for advancing the sole againstthe tool by engagement with succes sive portions of its marginal part,having provision for free variation in surface speed in the forwarddirection only from point to point in its width to accommodate theirregular contour of the sole.

2. A machine for operating progressively along the edge of a solecomprising a tool, a plurality of toothed feeding sections for advancingthe sole against the tool, and means for normally driving the sectionspositively at the same surface speed constructed and arranged to permitrelative movementthereof in the line of feed to accommodate action ofthe machine upon the sole in a curved line.

3. A machine for operating upon soles,

havin in combination, a stationary tool, a plurality of toothed feedingsections for advancing a sole against the tool, means for moving saidsections positively in the direction of feed constructed to permitrelative movement of the sections in the line of feed under the actionof the work, and means for pressing the work into operative engagementwith said sections.

4. A machine for operating upon soles, having in combination, astationary tool, a plurality of rotary toothed feeding sections foradvancing a sole against the tool, means for rotating said sectionspositively in the direction of feed constructed to permit individualforward movement of the sections under the action of the work, and meansfor pressing the work into engagement with said sections.

5. In a machine of the class described the combination with a rotaryshaft, of a plurality of feeding sections arranged side by side uponsaid shaft, and arranged for free movement in one direction only uponsaid shaft, means for pressing the work into engagement with saidsections, and a tool arranged in the path of the work.

6. In a machine of the class described, a feeding device comprising arotary hub, a plurality of peripherally toothed sections mounted uponsaid hub for free individual forward turning movement, and means forarresting rearward movement of the sections upon the hub.

7. A machine for operating upon stock having, in combination, anoperating tool and a feeding device for advancing said stock to saidtool by engagement of succes sive portions of its marginal portion withsaid stock having provision for freely permitting increase in surfacespeed from point to point and for opposing decrease in surface speed.

8. A machine of the class described, having in combination, a frame,work-feeding means mounted upon the frame, a head detachably secured tothe frame and provided with a presser wheel for holding the work incontact with said feeding means, and a divided shaft for rotating saidwheel having one of its sections mounted upon the head and a secondsection mounted upon the frame, and means for detachably connecting saidsections.

9. A machine of the class described, having in combination, a knifearranged in the path of the work, a guideway arranged transversely tothe line of feed, a slide mounted in said guideway, a rotary edge rollmounted upon the slide, a feed wheel arranged to impart motion to theedge roll and carried by the slide, and means under the control of theoperator to advance and retract said slide.

10. A channeling machine, having in combination, a Work supporting andfeeding device arranged to advance the work in a horizontal path, avertical guideway, a carrier arrranged. for movement upon said guideway,a channeling knife, a grooving knife and a presser foot mounted uponsaid car rier in position to act upon the margin of a sole sustained bysaid device, and means for raising and lowering said carrier.

11. In a machine of the class described, a tool sustaining block havinga threaded conical bore, an externally and internally threaded conicalsleeve arranged in said bore, and an adjusting screw for the blockthreaded in the sleeve.

12. In a machine of the class described, a tool sustaining block,aheaded screw having its shank inserted in the block, a support providedwith a tapped hole and an externally threaded sleeve arranged in saidhole and formed to receive the screw and have engagement with the headthereof, and a shoulder formed upon the shank of the screw forengagement with the support.

13. A machine of the class described, hav ing in combination, a frame,work feeding means mounted upon the frame, a head detachably secured tothe frame and provided with a presser Wheel for holding the work incontact with said feeding means, a shaft for rotating said wheel dividedintermediate its ends and having its outer section mounted upon the headand its inner section mounted upon the frame, means for detachablyconnecting said sections and means for supporting the inner sectionwhile the head remains detached.

14. A machine of the class described having, in combination, aknifelocated in the line of feed, a slide movable transversely ofsaidline, a rotary edge roll movable with said slide, a-feed Wheelsimilarly movable and a driving connection between said roll and wheel.

15. A machine of the class described having, in combination, atool foroperating upon stock, a sectional feed wheel for advancing said stock tosaid tool, a rotary member upon which the sections of said wheel aremounted, and a one-way clutch between one of said sections and saidrotary member.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses. 1

HENRY W. WINTER.

WVitnesses:

BERNARD BARROWS, ALLAN H. BARROWS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. i

